The Graduate Student Congress met Monday night to discuss plans to secure more funding for programs, including a travel program to help graduate students present research.

Among newly proposed programs and requirements, budgetary issues seemed to take precedence on the agenda.

The Graduate Student Congress was founded in 2006 and is open for graduate students of all disciplines.

The Student Government Association acts as a voice for both undergraduate students and graduate students, and the Graduate Student Congress has been pushing for more communication between the two organizations to better vocalize graduate students’ opinions.

“Our main goal is to incorporate all graduate students through workshops and travel awards,” Graduate Student Congress President Christopher Ledford said. “We want to be the voice for everyone.”

One way the congress plans to improve communication and secure more yearly funds is to appoint a Graduate Student Congress senator at large for the Student Government Association. This appointed student would work as a liaison between the two organizations to secure proper funding and better the graduate student presence on campus.

William Serson, a graduate student from the College of Agriculture in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, was nominated as the liaison.

Serson said he would like to get more funding for the travel rewards program, which allows graduate students to apply and receive funding for research they conducted in their area of discipline and present that research at conferences throughout the year.

“Such programs like the travel awards program not only helps out the graduate student in their area of discipline but it also promotes UK when we act as the face of our university at conferences throughout the year,” Serson said.

The Graduate Student Congress would like to increase funding to offer better opportunities to graduate students.

The Dean of Graduate Student Affairs and members of the Student Government Association are working with the Graduate Student Congress and have been supportive of bettering the communication to offer more funding.

“It is hard to tell if we will definitely secure the funds we need for the programs we run throughout the year, but I am very hopeful,” Graduate Student Congress member Amanda Lee said.